A Complete & Long Guide to All Workers’ Party Candidates in 2020 Simplified & Summarised for You

When it comes to elections, there are some candidates you must know about.

For example, Ooi Boon Ewe. The independent candidate would even sing for you.

Sherwin Eu, who hasn’t appeared in this year’s election. Yet.

And of course, we must know about the candidates in Workers’ Party, the only party with elected Members of Parliament in the last parliament.

The most recognised and oldest opposition party has confirmed that they would be contesting 21 seats in Aljunied GRC, East Coast GRC, Marine Parade GRC, Sengkang GRCs, Hougang SMC and Punggol West SMC.

So who are the men and women in blue whom we’d be seeing more often in the next few days, and potentially in the next five years?

Muhammad Azhar Abdul Latip, 34 (PHV Driver & Businessman)

Mr Azhar would be one of the youngest MPs should he get elected.

The 34-year-old is currently a Grab driver and also runs a small business. The NUS graduate, who majored in political science, has been helping out in Aljunied GRC and Fengshan SMC, which has been absorbed into East Coast GRC.

He’s hoping to be a voice for the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in society, saying, “I’d like to see a more equitable and fairer society, where minorities are not discriminated against and where each of us gets a fair shot in life.”

Back in 2014, he met up with an accident that disabled him. But he’s now soldiered on in life and is even going to be trained as a para-athlete.

You can find out more about him here.

Louis Chua Kheng Wee, 33 (Banker)

Mr Chua, who’s even younger than Mr Azhar, is so young that he’s still an active NSman serving in a Combat Service Support (CSS) Battalion.

He’s a Vice President at a Global Investment Bank and has graduated with a Bachelor of Accountancy, Summa Cum Laude, from the Singapore Management University (SMU).

The young man’s goal is to ensure that every Singaporean is empowered to achieve his or her maximum potential regardless of background, with a strong social safety net for the less privileged.

You can find out more about him here.

Yee Jenn Jong, 55 (Businessman)

If this name sounds familiar, then you should be of voting age.

Mr Yee has contested in previous elections before: he first contested alone in Joo Chiat SMC in 2011, and then as a group in Marine Parade GRC in 2015.

In 2011 to 2015, he was also a non-Constituency MP, as the seats would be given to the losing candidate with the best results.

He has been active in Marine Parade, the constituency he contested in 2015, so I bet my boss’ car that he’s be fielded there.

You can find out more about him here.

Seah Xue Ling, Nicole Rebecca, 33 (Associate Director at a Multinational Marketing Group)

The name doesn’t ring a bell? Well, how about we switch it to something more familiar: Nicole Seah?

The 33-year-old, whom we’ve known since she was 24, needs no introduction: she’s the Golden Girl in GE 2011, and now, she’s back with the Workers’ Party instead of the National Solidarity Party.

While she resigned from NSP three years later, she’s volunteered with the Workers’ Party since 2015, and is involved in the media team. No wonder they’ve such a professionally made video.

She’s now a mother of a two-year-old girl, and had come back to politics because the political landscape was “unfair” and the playing field unequal.

But there’s one more reason: for her daughter.

She said that her daughter is “the next generation of Singaporeans and I want to leave behind a legacy for her, where she would feel comfortable regardless of political inclinations or the kinds of views that she is expressing.”

But why the Workers’ Party? She could have teamed up with Ooi Boon Ewe and Sherwin Eu, right?

She said, “It’s a party that does not oppose for the sake of opposing.”

She is now working as an associate director at a multinational marketing group, and has experience doing digital channel strategy planning for government sector clients and digital analytics across multiple markets for a regional tech company.

You can find out more about her here.

Dylan Ng Foo Eng, 45 (Director in a Wealth Advisory Firm)

Mr Ng had been in the limelight before, contesting in Marine Parade GRC in 2015. Back then, his team garnered 35.93% of the votes, losing to former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong’s team.

The 45-year-old is married with two children, and has a Bachelor Degree of Economics from the University of Western Australia (UWA). Just like what his party thinks, Mr Ng hopes for a “balanced” parliament with diverse views and voices, and engages in robust policy debate which will benefit Singapore and Singaporeans as part of real democratization.

You can find out more about him here.

Dennis Tan Lip Fong, 48 (Lawyer)

You’d find him familiar if you watch Parliament sittings regularly.

The 48-year-old lawyer is a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) as he got the best results from his loss in the 2015 elections, whereby he contested in Fengshan SMC and lost with 42.5% of the votes

Just FYI, Fengshan SMC is now being absorbed into East Coast GRC this upcoming election.

While it’s not confirmed, it appears that he might be contesting in Hougang SMC, a ward that’s belonged to the Workers’ Party since 1991. He said, “I just want to say that Hougang constituency knows more than any other constituency in Singapore the importance of having an alternative voice in Parliament.

“I will continue to persuade as many Hougang voters as possible in this coming election, including new residents who have moved in.”

It’s been announced that the increment Hougang SMC MP Png Eng Huat would not be running for reelection.

You can find out more about him here.

Jamus Jerome Lim Chee Wui, 44 (Associate Professor of Economics)

Dr Lim is only 44, but he has more degrees than the number of meals you have daily.

The Associate Professor in ESSEC Business School has a Bachelor of Business (Hons), Economics, from the University of Southern Queensland,  a Master of Science, Economics, from the London School of Economics, a Master of Liberal Arts, History, from Harvard University, a Master of Arts, Politics, from the University of California, Santa Cruz and finally, a Doctor of Philosophy, International Economics, from the University of California, Santa Cruz as well.

That’s a mouthful.

Despite his educational qualifications, he said that there could be improvement in the local education system. “I believe that we have allowed superficial success in our educational system to blind us to the fact that this system isn’t working and our education system is not preparing our children to actually take on and create good jobs for the future.

“I want to ask these kind of questions for the sake of my eight-month-old daughter but I also want to ask them for the sake of all children.”

You can find out more about him here.

Raeesah Begum Bte Farid Khan, 26 (Founder and Director of Programs, Reyna Movement)

If the name sounds familiar, then you should know about the 2017 Presidential Election, in which we didn’t get a chance to go to the polls.

She’s the daughter of Farid Khan, one of the Malays who had wanted to run in the 2017 Presidential Election but did not qualify for it.

Ms Khan is inspired by her parents to run for election, saying, “Because of what they taught me growing up, I’ve always known that for far too many people hard work alone isn’t enough to get past the hurdles they face.”

Reyna Movement, an organization she found, aims to empower marginalised women and children through upskilling programs and community engagement.

The 26-year-old, who’s the youngest WP candidate so far, hopes for a more equal and just society, without prejudice and persecution of ideals. She has been spotted helping out at Sengkang GRC.

You can find out more about her here.

Ron Tan Jun Yen, 35 (Senior Assistant Manager at NUHS Research Office)

The other Mr Tan introduced today could have been involved in the viral video put out by WP, for he’s also an executive committee member of Media Team.

The father-of-one has once contested in Nee Soon GRC in 2015, and his team garnered 33.17% of the votes, losing to Home Affairs & Law Minister K Shanmugam’s team. Since 2017, he has been assisting with the Aljunied Constituency Committee and is the legislative assistant to former MP Low Thia Khiang.

As someone close to him, he said that “the best lesson I learned from him is that you have to be responsible to your residents, you’re elected to take on the responsibility to look after them, to be the voice for them in Parliament and to assist them with their day-to-day issues.”

You can find out more about him here.

Nathaniel Koh Kim Hui, 36 (Digital Product Owner at an MNC)

While this is the first time Koh is standing for election, he has been volunteering for Workers’ Party since 2009.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management from Singapore Management University (SMU), he has been executing digital transformation initiatives in the financial, transportation and access solutions sector.

He hopes to rekindle Singapore’s sense of space and rejuvenate our sense of belonging.

You can find out more about him here.

Tan Chen Chen, 38 (Contracts Administrator)

Graduated from Singapore Polytechnic in 2004, she worked her way up from assistant quantitative surveyor to quantitative surveyor and obtained her degree in Construction Management in 2009.

Chen hopes that Singaporeans recognise the need for a rational and respectable elected-opposition presence in Parliament to provide for a system of checks and balances.

She also hopes that Singaporeans will take more interest in the country, their communities and their neighbours.

You can find out more about her here.

Fadli Fawzi, 40 (Lawyer at Inkwell Law Corporation)

Before he was a lawyer, he was a senior policy development officer with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) for five years.

Fadli also worked at various think tanks such as the Asia Research Institute, the Institute of Policy Studies and the Centre for Research for Pedagogy and Practice.

He hopes that Singapore will become a “more just and democratic country where people are empowered to make rational and informed decisions”.

You can find out more about him here.

Kenneth Foo Seck Guan, 42 (Deputy Director, Singapore Cancer Society)

If he looks familiar to you and you stay in Yishun, that’s because he was part of the team that contested at Nee Soon GRC back in 2015.

He has worked in the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE) for 8 years and has been serving in the charity sector for 5 years with the Singapore Cancer Society.

He hopes to build a Singapore where Singaporeans are empowered to be critical and included in decision-making with a “balanced, equal and ethical political system”.

You can find out more about him here.

Terence Tan Li-Chern, 48 (Advocate & Solicitor)

Another familiar face, Tan ran for elections in Marine Parade GRC back in 2015.

He mainly represents parties in commercial disputes but also acts for accused persons in murder and drug trafficking trials and appeals.

A lawyer by trade, he also has experience in top-level management, including a multinational hotel group and a real estate and hotel developer firm.

He hopes to provide Singaporeans with equal and ample opportunities in their workplaces and schools to excel.

You can find out more about him here.

Abdul Shariff Bin Aboo Kassim, 54 (Former Researcher)

Ivan Lim’s “humble beginnings” might sound like the perfect Singapore story, but Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim’s story is just as impressive.

The 54-year-old had disrupted studies at Secondary Four to do factory work. He then went on to study as a mature student in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Throughout his tertiary studies, he worked as a NightRider bus driver part-time and also a relief taxi driver to pay his expenses. Back then no Grab or Go-Jek lah.

He now has a Bachelor of Science (Economics) and a Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration from Singapore Management University, and is married with two children.

The former researcher, who quit his last job as the organisation has a “policy of non-partisanship”, has started volunteering at WP’s Aljunied GRC in 2012, helping Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh at his Meet-the-People (MPS) sessions.

You can find out more about him here.

Gerald Giam Yean Song, 42 (Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of a tech start-up company)

He is Gerald Giam. That Gerald Giam. Okay next.

…

I’m kidding. While he might not need any introduction, apolitical people like BuffLord95 might think he’s related to some Liverpool FC legend, so bear with me if this seems extremely redundant.

Mr Giam is a very familiar and outspoken WP member, having been active in Workers’ Party grassroots outreach for the past 11 years. Other than looking the same for last 11 years, the 42-year-old has contested in East Coast GRC in 2011 and 2015, and was a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) from 2011 – 2015.

He’s also extremely vocal in social media, voicing his opinions regularly about policies and whatnot.

You can find out more about him here.

He Ting Ru, 37 (Lawyer)

The 37-year-old was the Golden Girl back in 2015, when she contested in Marine Parade GRC.  Armed with a degree from Cambridge and a law degree from London, she’s now a mother of two young children, and that has “given her new insight and perspective on the issues and difficulties that hardworking families face.”

She’s now the head of legal and communications at a listed multinational company in Singapore, and is running for election again because she wants her children “to be proud of their country that has overcome obstacles by bringing its most vulnerable along with it.”

Parenthood will indeed change a person. Remember Nicole Seah’s reason for contesting as well?

You can find out more about her here.

Leon Perera, 49 (CEO)

Another candidate that we’re familiar with, Mr Perera has contested in 2015 in East Coast GRC and was appointed a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) in the 13th Parliament, serving on the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.

Which is why you’ve seen him in Parliament in recent years.

The graduate from Oxford University has two children…which we used to remember as “young”, but they’re now 12 and 14. How time passes.

You can find out more about him here.

Last Three Candidates That Need no Introduction

In the Workers’ Party website, they’ve to include the former MPs that are going for re-elections too.

They’re Party Secretary-General Pritam Singh (43), Party Chair Sylvia Lim (55) and Party Vice-Chair Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (45).

Gerald Giam and Leon Perera will join the powerhouses to contest in Aljunied GRC.